Resources

These booklets, factsheets, toolkits and reports are free for you to download. We are committed to provide free information on our website but we are a small charity and if you are able to make a donation to help cover costs of producing and revising our publications, it would make a big difference.

All about M.E.: symptoms and management

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) is a chronic fluctuating illness. It is commonly also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS or CFS/M.E.). Sometimes it is diagnosed as Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome (PVFS).

The onset of M.E. can be gradual or sudden. The symptoms vary from person to person and they may be mild, moderate or severe. Whatever your experience, you share something in common with every other person with M.E. – you want to make sure you’re doing all the right things to help you get better. Coping with M.E. is a challenge but there are ways in which you can take control and learn to manage the illness effectively.

This booklet has been developed with the input of professionals and people with the illness to help you find out about M.E. We hope you find it useful.

Newly diagnosed with M.E.

Healthcare professionals and people with M.E. alike tell us they would like more information and support about the diagnosis, symptoms and management of M.E. This resource is intended to do just that. We hope that patients will share it with GPs, and that GPs will share it with colleagues.

Action for M.E. 2016-2021 strategy

Our purpose is to end the ignorance, injustice and neglect experienced by people with M.E. We will do this by meeting need now while taking action to secure change for the future. In August 2018, we revised our organisational strategy to include our promises to children and young people with M.E., following the launch of our Children and Young People's Services Team.

An overview of M.E.

This factsheet offers an overview of M.E. including symptoms, diagnosis and management options available. For a more detailed description of the condition and its impact, please see our longer booklet, All about M.E.

Action for M.E. Trustee report and accounts 2017-2018

Action for M.E. Trustee report and accounts 2016-2017

Reporting on Action for M.E.'s promises to improve the lives of people with M.E., inspire action at all levels, and invest in change, our Board of Trustee's annual report looks at the difference we made for people with M.E. from 1 April 2016 to 30 March 2017, and reviews how we raised and spent funds.

M.E./CFS Research Funding report

Commissioned by the UK CFS/M.E. Research Collaborative and launched at its 2016 conference, this report highlights that M.E. research represents less than 1% of all active grants given by UK mainstream funding agencies. Based on this report, and the scientific discussions at the conference, the Medical Research Council (MRC) will review its M.E./CFS highlight notice, the mechanism by which researchers are alerted to areas that are a high priority for the MRC, with a view to encourage more applications.

Spotlight on specialist services

Action for M.E. believes that everyone with M.E. is entitled to personalised, patient-led healthcare that best meets their needs. This report reveals how Clinical Commissioning Groups, Health Boards and Health and Social Care Trusts in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are failing to meet these needs - and what we are doing about it.

Close to collapse

M.E. is a chronic disabling condition that can have a devastating effect on people’s lives. This interim report, based on findings from our 2015 survey, demonstrates the shocking gap between the need for social care, and the provision of appropriate services, for adults in the UK with this disabling condition.

“My life stopped...”

This report focuses on the experiences of 298 people identifying themselves as severely affected (out of 2,081 total respondents with M.E.) who took part in Action for M.E.’s 2014 health, welfare, employment and education survey.

ESA: an overview

This factsheet offers guidance on making a claim for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), filling in the capability for work questionnaire (ESA50), and appealing if you believe the decision is wrong.

Universal Credit: an overview

Universal credit (UC) is a new benefit that is replacing a range of means-tested benefits with a single benefit. To qualify you will need to meet certain basic rules and have income and capital/savings below certain levels.